The vast majority of businesses that don't have a list of some sort right now would vastly increase their profits if they started gathering one. Online marketing is no different: no matter what business model you are following online, you absolutely need a list if you want to take your business to the next level.
Email marketing is a prime example of permission marketing. By subscribing to your list, the subscriber gives you permission to get in touch via an email newsletter. If you abuse this permission by bombarding them with affiliate links, then your subscriber will rescind that contract by unsubscribing from your list.
List building and email marketing is obviously all about making money, but to do so, you must not appear to be out for your subscriber's dollars. Whether or not you care about your subscribers, you absolutely must appear like you do. That may sound unscrupulous, but as long as your subscribers feel that they are getting value out of your email newsletter, that's all that matters.
The factor which determines the success of your email marketing campaigns is whether your subscribers open your emails or not. Sounds silly, doesn't it? But if you write an email with a boring headline, then very few people are going to want to open it. The headline is the first and potentially last thing of an email that your subscribers see, so take care when creating the headline.
Even though the headline is the first part of the email your subscribers will see, there is something else which can be even more effective for getting those emails opened. Can you guess what it is?
It's your name. If you subscribers trust you and like you, then they'll know what to expect from your emails. They'll like you so much that they'll disregard your subject line and skip to the good stuff. They'll anticipate your next email. Some will trust you so much that they'll buy anything you tell them to buy.
It would be nice if you had a list full of those people right from the start. However, such influence does not come overnight. It is earned over time, starting from that initial contact where they handed over their name and email in return for some sort of product or information. From that point on, everything that you say and do for your subscribers will cause them to shape an opinion of you.
Your list is your biggest asset, but only if your subscribers are responsive. If you treat them as mere names in a database, then they'll treat you as a mere annoyance and they'll try to be rid of you as soon as possible by unsubscribing from your list.
But like I said, if you earn the trust and respect of your subscribers, then your list will be able to outperform lists which are ten times its size. The key to successful email marketing is relationship building. After you've mastered that art, making big money with email marketing will be as simple as pushing send.
Dr. Bob Clarke coaches and mentors new and experienced entrepreneurs in making money online with integrity, honesty, and professionalism. He is a marketing and branding expert who teaches his team the secrets to making money online. Visit http://NetworkMarketingMadeSimple.info to see the entire "Network Marketing Made Simple" series and more of Dr. Clarke's extensive training. To become a member of Bob and Rosemary's growing entrepreneurial team, go to http://YourTimeForFreedom.com
